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September 2, 2010 Opinion and Analysis Joe Janish

What Do We Blame It On This Year?

Ever since the knee-wobbling Adam Wainwright curve that froze Carlos Beltran in October 2006 (a-ha! that’s how he broke his knee!), the Mets have had very distinct “reasons” for not making the playoffs.

In 2007, it was the “lack of an ace”, which in turn allowed The Collapse to happen.

In 2008, it was “the bullpen” (and not the way Jerry Manuel “managed” it).

In 2009, it was “the injuries”

In 2010, it is ….. ?

We need to know what “it” is, and it needs to be specific — otherwise, what will Omar Minaya and co. do this offseason? They need something to “address” during the winter, and placate we angry fans. If they don’t fix anything, we won’t be inclined to buy 2011 season tickets, after all.

Post in the comments what you think will be spun as the thing that needs to be fixed this offseason.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. Simon September 2, 2010 at 9:10 am
    A slugger with clutch performance, to drive in the runs? Cue management going after Adam Dunn/Jayson Werth in the off-season
  2. John September 2, 2010 at 9:20 am
    The Mets are going to say its the manager. They need a manager who is more of a disciplinarian. That Manuel and Randolph were too player friendly and that they got comfortable and complacent after 2006.

    To a certain degree, this is correct. It has been the manager, and you can backdate that to 2008.

    But if we all recall, it was Jeff Wilpon that became friends with and liked Jerry Manuel and wanted to hire him to replace Randolph despite Jerry being a coach during the 2007 collapse and the manager of the 2008 collapse.

    • Mike September 2, 2010 at 9:42 am
      They are going to say “it’s the manager.”

      They are going to bring in a big time coaching staff, be it Valentine or Backman or some other dark horse like Pinella or Torre. I am not saying I think either will happen. Just giving an example of a big time manager.

      what do I thin of that? Sure the thinking is still flawed, but if Wally or Valentine were the manager then I will be very happy, regardless of the thinking behind the decision. Actually if it were Valentine I’d image the FO would have made a few concessions to him. Whether they would stick to the agreement is debatable. But I know Bobby would not come without more power than last time.

      BTW would anyone disagree with the following idea: should the Mets bring Wally on the coaching staff either as a bench coach or something else instead of the manager? Would he accept such a role? Perhaps his passion and style would work best if he was not held accountable for the entire team, at least until this team is back on its feet a bit.

      • joe bourgeois September 2, 2010 at 10:50 am
        I doubt they would even _interview_ Valentine, even to listen to his demands and pick his brain.
        And that’s what the underlying problem is — I forget which newsprint columnist had this the other day, but you can bet 300 to 1 that they’re not gonna follow an honest, open-ended, exploratory process and get surprised and learn stuff and get better. In fact I’d lay 300 to 1 that their minds are already made up and that any process they do follow is gonna be just for show
        • Mike September 2, 2010 at 11:50 am
          I’m not sure how you quantify that. If you think that the Mets will not try to make major headlines with the next manager then you are missing the point. Minds made up or not this will be a big name, and if Bobby V is the biggest name available then I bet the Mets bring him in. I think they will blame this whole mess of Jerry and look to make major headlines with the Manager.
  3. QPR Bill September 2, 2010 at 2:19 pm
    Well, the big headline theme is certainly something which appeals to the Mets, but obviously for all the wrong reasons. The main reason for 2010 being a failure is not exclusively on the field. The FO is, and has been for some time, an embarrassment to the fans. The Mets are NOT run like a professional organization which has a clear set of priorities and policies, and act decisively in the best interests of the team. They make half decisions, seemingly too aware the spotlight is on them and afraid of how they might look (K-Rod initial suspension=2 days!!??). Leadership is lacking-examples: Tony Bernazard would have been fired IMMEDIATELY in other orgs; Jeff Wilpon and OM would not have contradicted one another LIVE ON AIR during a phone press conference about K-Rod’s future; etc. etc. Sadly, the Mets are seen as a joke throughout the league. Big, unwise spenders who don’t seem to know where to sort out the current problems because there is no long term business (on and off field) plan to refer to. Who or what ultimately is blamed for 2010 will not solve any problems. We can only hope the players who really represent the best the Mets have to offer, like Wright, decides to stick it out for a few more years in hope of seeing a change in fortunes.
  4. Steve September 2, 2010 at 3:29 pm
    Blame it on the Rain
    Blame it on Rio
    Blame it on the Boogie
    Am I missing anything?
    • Agarn September 3, 2010 at 3:40 pm
      blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
  5. Walnutz15 September 2, 2010 at 7:00 pm
    Blame it on the BOSSanova.
  6. Professor Longnose September 2, 2010 at 7:35 pm
    Blame it on the Yankees. They sell all the tickets!
  7. Billy September 3, 2010 at 12:26 pm
    Blame Jerry. It all starts with batting Jose Reyes third. Then batting Beltran high in the order returning off major surgery. Blame Omar too. That begins with an offseason that added nothing to our starting pitching. Then signing Mike Jacobs. Sad.
  8. douglas wayne September 3, 2010 at 1:54 pm
    It’s gotta be the shoes.
  9. agbayani September 3, 2010 at 4:01 pm
    The blame this year goes primarily to Omar Minaya for putting together a team that was lacking and whose mediocre record was completely predictable. Most notably, at the start of the season it was clear that the lineup was below average (or worse) at 4 positions – C, 1B, 2B, and RF. Sure enough, over the season as a whole the lousy results at these 4 positions has ensured that the team is one of the worst in the league in most offensive categories – especially OBP and therefore runs scored.

    The tendency to blame Wright, Beltran, Reyes, Bay is misguided.

    • Vincent Porreca September 4, 2010 at 1:40 am
      All of you pointing fingers at David Wright are soooo misguided. He is the best position player this organization has ever developed and will finish his career with 2500+ hits and 350 – 400 home runs. To trade him would be a huge mistake, particularly for a pitcher like Greinke who admittedly has depression issues. That would be really wise, let’s unleash the press and 24 hour radio on the poor guy so he locks himself in a closet!!
      David is the guy we should be building around.
  10. TheseAreNotMyMets September 3, 2010 at 5:19 pm
    I can fix the Mets. Fire Omar: Break up the Mets

    David Wright and Frankie Rodriguez (we pick up his contract) for Zack Grienke and Joakim Soria.

    SP- Santana, Grienke, Pelfrey, Niese, Mejia and Dickey
    RP-Igarashi, Acosta, Parnell, Feliciano, Takahashi, Soria

    C- Thole, Blanco
    IF- Davis, Tejada, Reyes
    3B
    OF- Bay, Beltran, Pagan (one other gone in a trade)
    OF
    Bench- Carter

    Free agents available:
    3B Adrian Beltre, Jorge Cantu, Brandon Inge
    OFCarl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Michael Cuddyer, Magglio Ordonez,